overnight stops sydney to brisbane coast road

Old Jan 11th, 2012, 02:14 AM
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overnight stops sydney to brisbane coast road

we have decided rather than fly to brisbane from sydney. we will drive the coast road with 2 overnight stops and recommendations for places to stop would be most welcome. thanks in anticipation
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Old Jan 11th, 2012, 05:35 PM
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Coffs Harbour geographically speaking is about half-way and is quite a nice town so would be a good overnighter. However, holiday makers most frequently visit Forster-Tuncurry, which is closer to Sydney (lovely swimming there), or Byron Bay, which is almost at the Queensland border. We also quite like Port Macquarie for a brief visit; others will probably have their favourites.

Lavandula
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Old Jan 11th, 2012, 08:01 PM
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As you were told before the road hardly touches the coast and we do not know much of your interests. This makes it a bit tricky. NSW school holidays are from 5 April to 22 April so there will be a lot of people in the holiday places.
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Old Jan 11th, 2012, 09:07 PM
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If your travel dates include the Easter break (Thursday 5th to Monday 9th April 2012) you may have difficulty booking single nights anywhere along the north coast.

Most accommodation providers like to get a minimum of 3 consecutive nights bookings, and will only take single nights if they have odd spaces left, or if you are making last-minute bookings. Di
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Old Jan 12th, 2012, 03:03 AM
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i am aware that the road does not follow the coast. I just wanted some suggestions of where to turn of to see various town etc. We are not traveling until 24th april so i assume this will miss the crowds. We like to think we are not tourists in the conventional sense in that we must visit here there etc, we would rather find some low key towns and watch the world go by, instead of flying over them. admittedly we will miss major sites but hopefully we will also miss the crowds. This may seem strange but this is how we are. To illustrate this we were recently in stockholm, we did the hop on bus tour. In front of us was an american tourist who spent the whole tour videoing, what is the point of that, instead of taking everything in foryourself.
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Old Jan 12th, 2012, 12:52 PM
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I like your kind of travel too, mrgrumpy!

If your wish is to watch the world go by, then can I suggest you spend 2 nights in each stopover? That way, you can take the time to explore each place, rather than just passing through.

Port Stephens, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay are the most popular stopping points along the north coast.

I suggest you look at Google Maps and check the driving times between each, then take a look at www.visitnsw.com to find out about each place. This might help with your decisions! Di
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Old Jan 12th, 2012, 01:27 PM
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Some of my favourites are Nambucca Heads, Crescent Head, Woolgoolga. All small towns with what I think is a lovely ambience & good walking & swimming opportunities.

They also have cabins in caravan/holiday parks right on the water which are very good value, as well as modestly priced motels.

For a lunch/coffee stop, Ulmarra is one of those "blink-and-you-miss-it" gems that most people do miss and those few who stop, love. http://www.clarencetourism.com/about...y/ulmarra/p/45

Behind that pub in the picture is a big lawn running down to the edge of the Clarence River, with tables & chairs under the trees. Good bistro/pub food.

Another little easy to miss gem is Newrybar, between Ballina & Bangalow. The Harvest Cafe is a charming converted house which is a great coffee/lunch or dinner stop. Couple of interesting galleries/ 2nd hand shops too.
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Old Jan 16th, 2012, 04:00 AM
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Are you fixed on going via the Pacific Highway? Half of it is boring divided highway, the rest is dangerous. Lots and lots of semi-trailer traffic. The inland route, New England Highway, is generally a much better drive with vastly better scenery.
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Old Jan 16th, 2012, 05:28 AM
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not totally fixed on coast route but intend to come back on new england highway. time constrains us to only 1 night stops as we have to be back to catch flight back to uk, while daughter continues her travels going south from Sydney to meet up with people she has met in travels through asia. How dangerous is dangerous with this road. With respect have you driven the M25 in UK and its environs in rush hour. Now that can be DANGEROUS. Thanks to everyone for advice
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Old Jan 16th, 2012, 03:51 PM
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There is a history of bad coach accidents at Kempsey; plus lots of drivers of trucks and coaches take caffeine tablets and other drugs to keep themselves awake, in order to make unreasonable deadlines. It's not so much about the volume of traffic as you might get on the M25, as about the quality of the roads (many Australian highways just aren't that great) and the sleep-deprived professional drivers. That's how I interpret dangerous.

Lavandula
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Old Jan 16th, 2012, 04:02 PM
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The divided multilane sections of the Pacific are fine. It's the heavily trafficked single sections that are bad, especially between Port Macquarie and Urunga.
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Old Jan 16th, 2012, 04:53 PM
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My suggestions:

Heading North on the Pacific, you could stop at Harrington (small town) or Port Macquarie (Big), or if you make a longer first day drive then Crescent Head (small, great beach). Second day stop at Yamba (small, on the ocean) or Maclean (small, on the river). Breaks on the way - the pub at Ulmarra is indeed a great spot for a break, as is the pub at Gladstone (going there also bypasses Kempsey which is a good thing IMO). The pub at Tumbulgum (inland from Tweed Heads) is also excellent.
If you want to get a feel for the ruggedness of the Border Ranges, on the 3rd day turn off the Pacific at Woodburn and head to Coraki, Casino, Kyogle, take the Lions Road through Cougal and then the Mt Lindesay Highway to Brisbane. The Lions Road cuts right through the Range (but it is narrow and twisty). This will add 40 minutes or so to the trip.

Heading South on the New England, stop at Glen Innes (a good size country town). Second night stay in Scone (centre of the horse stud industry), or take Thunderbolts Way at Uralla and spend the night in Gloucester. Thunderbolts Way actually cuts about 50 minutes off the trip. If taking Thunderbolts Way, the Walcha Road Hotel is a great place to stop for lunch, there are also excellent cafes in Walcha, there is nothing else between Walcha and Gloucester (except maybe a store at Nowendoc a bit off the main road). Best place for dinner in Gloucester is Roadies. If sticking to the New England, you can take a very scenic side trip turning off at Nemingha to Nundle. In Nundle have a drink/meal (excellent local trout) at the Peel Inn. Return to the New England at Wallabadah. This will add about 30 minutes. Canter Restaurant in Scone is wonderful (book ahead), but expensive.

Note - April 25th will be a public holiday (Anzac Day) with memorial services and marches in most towns.
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Old Jan 16th, 2012, 05:18 PM
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Agreed, lavandula, AND another and from my observation, larger contributor to the road toll in that and other areas is inexperience and stupidity of non-professional (truck & bus) drivers.

People whose driving experience consists 90% of driving bumper-to-bumper in city traffic all year long hit the open roads without the knowledge or experience (to say nothing of common sense) to handle the conditions or traffic.

On a drive to the Hunter Valley last weekend, about 2 hours each way:

1. I was tailgated by a kid with P plates along a one lane section in which I was already slightly exceeding the speed limit.
He decided to overtake on a rise (across double lines) and was lucky the oncoming truck had a driver with better driving skills, half a brain and somewhere to go off the road in order to miss him.

2. A woman in a small car whipped in front of a truck slowing to stop at a set of lights and slammed on the brakes. The truck driver only just managed to avoid hitting her and probably dropped $5k worth of tyre & brake wear on the exercise. Silly cow would have ended up under the truck and/or been pushed into the middle of the intersection to hit others.

3. In driving rain with very poor, almost no visibility, some idiot decided to overtake on the left hand /emergency lane - without any lights!

4. Hoon in a hotted up car wove in & out of F3 traffic at what must have been well over 140 (speed limit is 110 and it's fair to say very few are under it) for about 20kms. Cops got him, though. Probably tell a sad tale & be back on the road 20 mins after his court appearance.


Just this morning a 20 something girl did a "U" turn in front of me, through an orange light. Unfortunately for her, she was driving a company car that had its logo on it. It's a local real estate agent and I called her office and arranged to meet her when she got back to the office. It wasn't the property call she might have wanted, but with a bit of luck, I'll have given her such a fright that she will think next time.

No doubt there are some frustrating delays on the coast (and lots of other) roads due to roadworks, single-lane carriageways and volume of traffic at times. If we managed to teach people to drive properly in the first place and used a modicum of common sense, we would be able to cope with the frustrations without the accidents we have.

End of rant. And yes, truckies can be idiots too. But a lot of the accidents they're in aren't their fault. I'm not one, don't have any in my family or friends - but I drive a lot in urban and country areas.
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Old Jan 16th, 2012, 07:31 PM
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WE have spent many many holidays on the NSW North Coast and just this Christmas period DH and I took 2 days driving back from Yamba stoppping at all our favourite places. Here are some of my suggestions of where to visit.

1. After Bulledelah take the Lakes Way. Stop at Seal Rocks where there are several beautiful beaches and a lighthouse. There is no hotel motel here but there are houses for rent. You can continue on the Lakes Way through lots of other beautiful beaches and lakes where there are hotels options, cabins or camping grounds with cabins. Foster has every kind of accommodation option. Foster and its neighbouring town of Tuncurry is quite big.

2. If you like the sound of inland forests and waterfalls then go off the highway at at Taree amd head to Wingham then take the road up to Ellenborough Falls (via Elands). Note this is a dirt road so if you are not confident of driving this then it will not suit. After Ellenborogh Falls go through Comboyne and then back down to Kew then Port Macquarie. Port Macquarie is a large town with plenty of accommodation options.

3. At Kempsey head to Crescent Head (our favourite beachside town, it is also a surfing reserve with one of the best point breaks on the coast if that interests you). There are several accommodation options here although the town itself is not too big. From Crescent, take the tourist road through Smithtown and stop for a drink or meal at the Riverview Hotel and also stop in at Hat Head. Continue on up to South West Rocks with more lovely beaches and an old gaol. There are lots of accommodation options at South West Rocks.

4. After Grafton head out to Yamba and Angourie (another surfing reserve, perhaps even more famous than Crescent Head). Yamba has a pub with a fabulous view right above the beach. Quite a few accommodation options here.

5. After Ballina take the scenic road to Byron Bay - need I say more.

I missed your previous posting about your dates but NSW school holidays are fom 6th April to 22nd April but ANZAC Day is on 25th April so some people may continue the break a bit longer.
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Old Jan 17th, 2012, 01:50 PM
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Not sure why you are doing this drive. If it is just to have been there then don't. Make a shorter loop and stop to smell the roses, sea/mountain air or even the cow pats!
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Old Jan 17th, 2012, 02:19 PM
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I don't think it's such a dreadful drive, Alan.

I generally manage to discover an interesting place I've not been before and visit some old favourites. As Aussiefive & others have posted, lots to see & do if you have the time to enjoy it.

For someone who hasn't been here before, there's a good mix of beach & hinterland - it's just that they shouldn't expect to be driving beside the ocean for miles & miles

Wallaby: We did that back road from Kyogle last September and it's a gorgeous drive, isn't it? Sure is twisty, but what views! And some of those wonderful trees are just breathtaking in their majesty.

We had lunch at The Rathy (pub at Rathdowney) and I don't think I've ever seen a bigger T-Bone or pork chop in my life! And they were so delicious, we all finished every skerrick.
Very pleasant "beer garden" outside. Just make sure you order before 2pm - not one minute after

This link to someone's blog (not mine) gives a glimpse of the pub and scenery. http://eatdrinkandbekerry.blogspot.c...athdowney.html
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